Notes / Commercial Description:
Our flagship beer in the Humidor Series is Humidor Series India Pale Ale. We start with Jai Alai IPA as a base beer and add the cedar during secondary fermentation. The cedar provides a perfect balance with the assertive hops of Jai Alai to create an entirely new experience.

Pours slightly hazy amber with a large off white head that slowly recedes leaving quite a bit of lacing.

Juicy hops with earthy cedar in the aroma. Spicy and interesting. The spiciness from what I'm guessing is the cedar almost seems Belgian-esque. Pineapple and a bit of mango rounded with malty sweetness.

Pine and citrus hops. Not overwhelming, but nicely balanced with caramel malts. Finishes with the cedar. Sweet, spicy and slightly earthy.

This beer coats the mouth nicely but is sufficiently carbonated, which helps deliver spicy and citrusy flavors.

Another winner from CCB. The cedar seems to provide a more mild flavor than oak. It compliments the citrus flavors quite nicely.

750ml bottle poured into pint glass on 3/30/11.
My first ever Cigar City beer. This ale pours with an amazing orange hue topped with a creamy off-white head. Great retention and amazing lace. The nose of this IPA is great for the style and adds a uniqueness I've never experienced before. Citrus hops, honey, a touch of pine... and CEDAR. You can smell the cedar- faint at first but after a few good sniffs it's there. As I take my first sips I immediately appreciate the balance between the sweet honey notes and the slight bitterness from the pine and citrus notes. Of course the cedar-aging is present and plays along with the other flavors nicely. My only complaint is how long the cedar wood lingers in the mouth. It's good at first but becomes overwhelming by the end of the glass. Medium body and medium carbonation. My overall impression is this beer is fantastic and I loved it all the way (aside from too much cedar) and is a top 5 IPA in my opinion.

750ml bottle, no freshness date. Served in 160z stemless snifter, just above refrigerator temperature, and allowed to warm throughout the session.

A- Pours a dark, hazy, red/orange color. Comes with a one inch creamy head that dissipates pretty quick and leaves a ring. Some lacing.

S- Definitely strong on the cedar, really does remind me of a cigar box. Citrus hops- grapefruit and orange, some sweet malts, maybe caramel but it's hard to decipher, there is an almost wine-like alcohol note, and going back for that last sniff I get a lot of lactose, literally smells like 2% or higher fat milk - I believe this is merely an illusory character, and deeper smells reveal the true complexity of this beer. Slight alcohol burn, but not much and it is pleasing with the wood character.

T- Hops up front, citrus and sweet fruit. Then caramel malts, blending into a nice smooth hop bitterness. From here the cedar steals the show- semi-rough in character, the cedar is light and airy, toasty, somewhat smokey, slightly grassy, and tobacco also comes to mind. The finish is cedar, then caramel malt sweetness, and a slightly bitter, dry ending.

M- Medium body with tiny bubbles makes for a great mouth feel in this experimental beer. Enough carbonation to let the aroma open up, but not too much so that no flavor is lost.

O- This is my third experience with Cigar City and I have yet to be let down (Unfortunately I live over 1100 miles from the brewery and they don't distribute to Illinois). Is it normal or expected to age an IPA in cedar? No. Does it work? Well that is a matter of opinion, but for me it does. A lot of other reviews weren't so pleased, but the cedar really won me over in both taste and aroma. This beer is extremely complex and is definitely a sipper. I hope you at least get to try this intriguing brew, even if you don't like it, it's worth the experience.

Poured into my Lost Abbey tulip a cloudy, brassy copper. Nice head and average lacing.

Holy cow, this bring me back to the days of working at a tobacco store. I get tomato, celery, black pepper and then a wave of cedar.

The taste reflects the nose. To be honest, I couldn't finish my bottle - it reminded me too much of licking a cedar lined cigar box. The hops were definitely present in it, but I couldn't get past the heavy cedar flavors.

My first Cigar City beer....about damn time.Poured into an imperial nonic a slightly hazed brilliant burnt orange with a well defined frothy white head,old school ipa looks here.Toasty cedar wood and herbal hops in the nose,not alot of sweetness detected.Toasty and smooth on the palate with leafy,herbal hops in the finish.This a smooth mix of light toasted wood and herbal,and lightly citric hops,I really like the dryness on the palate as well.This a nice beer,it wont blow you away with its hop profile but the smoothness and drinkibility is its strong suit.

S: On the citrusy side along with a detectable hint of cedar, as the beer warmed up it began to smell like a fresh bag of weed. The nose was great for nostalgia.

T: Tangerine with the piney hop bitterness to it. Cedar flavor is noticeable, very balanced though. It has a fresh wood feeling that a lot of the other wood aged beers do not get. It adds a nice character to the beer.

M/D: The carbonation is pretty high on this beer. It was absolutely delicious and very interesting as IPA's go. I really enjoyed the unique character this beer had. It was like every other IPA out there and it worked very well. I will be seeking this out again.

a - poured a four-fingers thick and dense creamy tan head into a snifter that left thick sheeting and great lacing throughout. the body was a bright orange-amber color.
s - grassy, herbal, floral with a hint of citrus peel.
t - spicy, smokey, piney with some sweet fruits.
m - medium and thickness which starts out bubbly but really smooths out.
o - awesome is the only way to describe this. cigar city is doin' work.

T/M- A strong and sweet malt presence smacks upfront, but is nowhere near out of balance. The wood is really interesting and I like the way it rounds out and brings together all of the flavors. A creamy, big bodied IPA that feels more like a DIPA. The hops really hide underneath the wood and malt upfront, but flank your palate and pull a surprise attack. A sharp bitterness, sweet and sour grapefruit, and just a touch of citrusy orange peel. There's also an herbal spiciness. An amazing finish that hits a wall. Just as you imbibe and the hop flavor hits a crescendo the flavors are mopped up almost completely and only a bit of malty sweetness lingers faintly.

O- A really nice IPA and I love the way the wood plays in this beer. I wish there was a little more hop presence as this finishes so crisp; it's nice but I think it needs even more hopping. While this is a very interesting beer, its not quite great and I wouldn't reach for it over and over again.

My second visit with this great beer. Split a 750 with my girlfriend who also purchased this for me!

Appearance: Poured into my DFH Signature Glass. The other half poured into a Bell's conical pint glass.One and a half finger light tan pillowy head. Dark red mixed with a light brown color body. Her glass had the bottom of the bottle and poured a very cloudy lighter brown color, probably from the bottle conditioning.

Smell: Lots of cedar in the nose, it is a very distinct spicy wood flavor. It goes very well with Jai Alai IPA, great choice for the wood to age it on.

Taste: The other bottle I had was fresher and better. The spiciness of the cedar melds perfectly with Jai Alai which is one of my favorite IPAs as it is. It is a very interesting mix and one that should be tried at some point by anyone who likes wood aged beers. The hops provide a citrusy and spicy undertone but the main player is the cedar.

Mouthfeel: Pretty active carbonation, medium to light body.

Overall: Good beer and worth trying. Won't be a regular but I would certianly recommend trying to to get an idea of how cedar effects a beer. As a homebrewer it gives me some good ideas.

A big thanks to jenray for the generous surprise. This is an IPA aged on Spanish Cedar.

A: Pours an incredibly cloudy copper/orange color. Way to much suspended sediment that detracts for me. A large white head forms, but gently fades to a ring. Not much lace to speak of.
S: The cedar is very prominent. Musky wood, almost moldy wood even. Some citrus tries to break through, but with no avail.
T: A little better. The cedar takes an up front and center seat here. Though more IPA does come through. Bitter grapefruit is dominate in the finish.
M/D: A medium body and carbonation. Not nearly dry enough for me though. This is a bit of a chore to finish. Not something I will come back to.

Overall, an interesting idea. Though poor execution IMO. Way to much wood takes over, and not much else. I am glad I tried it, but not something I would recommend.

A-hazy gold with white head and lacing through out
S-the cedar comes through predominately. I feel like I'm at a lumber store
T-wow very complex. The wood comes through and almost adds a sour taste to it. Nice balance with the hops
M-medium bodied, crisp and dry
O-decent brew. Cedar is overpowering...

With this brew I felt like I was going to see a movie knowing nothing about it, and coming out amazed.

Poured in to a Sam Adams perfect pint glass. Brew has a nice light amber hue to it with the head forming nicely. The head stuck around for a good amount of time and was slightly an off white color. The aroma is where the experience starts with this brew, as the cedar just delights the senses. So not knowing about the aroma I sat there enjoy just the aroma for a good amount of time. Taste and aroma is a crucial part of any brew with out both it fails and this brew did not fail. The taste was of a slightly mellow citrus and sweet malt background. The cedar came out of this brew and balanced everything lovely and seemed to add a warming sensation to it. The brew was incredibly smooth and enjoyable. Will be seeking this one out again and hopefully will make a pit stop at the brewery it self.

Porange hazy orange with a big thick sticky head. Smells awesome with the cedar nose I was expecting. Taste is unlike anything I've had before. Nice bitter hop bite with tropical fruit then finishes dry with cedar aftertaste. More beers should be aged in cedar because this just adds a great dimension to the overall flavor. This is a spectacular beer!!

A BIG thanks goes out to an awesome trader for this one - UMCaner74. Cheers, Dave!

A: Cloudy, murky and dirty sweet tea in color. A huge 2+ finger head hits the glass on an everyday pour. A big foamy head and ridiculous lacing lingers.

S: Complex - slight cane sugar and black liquorice at first whiff. Bold, humid wood and freshly rolled smoke follow. It all adds up to one hell of a bouquet.

T: Holy Jai-Alai Batman! What a brew - it's so completely different and way outside of the (cigar) box. It's like drinking a medium-full Cuban Cohiba. Close my eyes and I swear I'm sitting at an outdoor cafe in Havana enjoying a fresh, hot plate of Ropa Vieja.

It's smokey, hoppy, robust and it hits the palate like a freight train. From beginning to end, this is one really bullied my tastebuds.

M: The heaviest AIPA in recent memory. It's got weight to it like an Imperial.

O: CCB's unfiltered and bottle conditioned Humidor Series Jai-Alai is simply wonderful. My love affair with Joey Redner's suds contiues, and I'm literally counting the days until I can visit Mecca.

This beer pours a nice amber copper color with a thick sticky white head. The smell is very mu h of cedar with a nice floral hop character to it. The taste is pretty close to the smell with the cedar having almost a spiceyness to it and the hop flavor is somewhat overpowered by the cedar but it still has a nice bitterness. The mouthfeel is well carbonated andrhe beer is pretty drinkable.

This beer pours a cloudy apricot coloured orange. There is a LOT of head, at least half the glass. Definitely either overcarbonated or possibly infected. Either way, the smell wasn't off, strong cedar smell, very woody, with some citric orange and grass. The taste was more along the lines of grassy, piney hops. The cedar is unique and takes a few minutes to get used to. I also pick up a bit of dried tobacco, oddly enough, the aftertaste is of cigars, hmmm. Mouthfeel is drying and over carbed, I believe. This is a decent IPA, just might be a tad too 'unique' for some but I'd have another one for sure.

while i was waiting for this ten fingers of head to go down....i had plenty of time to find this beer hidden in cigar city's list of beers here on beeradvocate!...other than the 20 fingers of head...this beer opened up to be, i've got to believe, the best smell i have ever smelled in a beer in my entire life!...sweet cedar blend so well with the american citrus hops....

the taste is awesome but comes a little short of the smell....the cedar is a little hidden in the taste....robust sweetness come to the taste more than anything...absolutely great!
the feel is so creamy with an ever so slight touch of dryness....
great drink ability....great session beer....that will be gone before i know it!

Certainly interesting, being aged on cedar. Pours like most any other Jai Alai with a smell of hops and faint cedar. As the brew warms up the cedar smell become not only more apparent but dominant. It helps bring out the citrus flavors and other bitters in the beer. It has a unique woodiness that I've never tasted before until this medium has come bearing the flavor. Cedar imparts its own bitterness as a very flavor altering aging ingredient. A must try.